Azorius Approach - Mythic, 61% Winrate, 80% vs aggro

Hello Magic friends! I hit Mythic for the first time last night using an Azorius “Approach of the Second Sun” deck. I’ve played Magic off and on (mostly off) since 1995, but never competitively. I would appreciate any feedback!

Proof: Mythic!
Deck Stats: Stats!

Deck Goals

The goal of the deck is to win with a second casting of Approach of the Second Sun. There is no other win con, so everything is geared towards making that happen. To stabilize the board against any creature based deck, the Nine Lives/Solemnity combo is included. Nine Lives prevents all damage, Solemnity ensures it sticks by not getting any counters.

I enjoyed the deck lists and videos (trying to make “Approach” decks work) from WaifuGate on Aetherhub (https://aetherhub.com/User/WaifuGate)  and YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8wlOQPfN8M).I had very little success with his Jeskai list. The Simic list showed some promise, but I don’t think the ramp package helps the deck win. Trying to cast Approach a few turns early by ramping still leaves you vulnerable for too many turns. I found that it’s better to secure the early game and take your time trying to find Approach.

My list is very similar to this one- aetherhub.com/Deck/nine-lives-approaches - with a few changes that I think attacks the meta better.

Card Choices and Strategy

Approach of the Second Sun - 2 Main/1 Side

The win con. Keep in mind that the first cast can be countered and it still counts. Only the second cast has to resolve. I keep 2 in the maindeck and 1 in the sideboard to fetch with Fae. I had both discarded against mono black once, but still won because of the extra copy in the sideboard. It’s okay to discard/cycle the first copy early in the game. If you’re able to stabilize then you have plenty of time to find one of the other two.

Nine Lives - 3

The key to surviving against any deck that relies on board presence to win. It’s okay to drop it without Solemnity, but you need to wait as long as possible. Big Ugin is a problem, so if you think he might be coming, don’t drop Nine Lives or try to Fae for a counter. I only saw Cleansing Nova once, which will also destroy Nine Lives and lose the game for you.

Solemnity - 3

Solemnity has utility on its own without Nine Lives, so I drop it as soon as I have it most of the time. Saga cards need to counters to activate, so Elspeth Conquers Death doesn’t do anything if Solemnity is out. Creatures don’t get any +1/+1 counters. Hydroid Krasis still gets the draw/life, but hits the board as a 0/0. I will put out multiple copies of Solemnity if I get them. It’s a lot harder to get rid of 2 at a time. If you only have one out, you are vulnerable to an exile, followed by  losing your Nine Lives to counters.

Idyllic Tutor - 4

Another way to grab your combo. I’ll also pull Search for Azcanta if a threat from the board isn’t a problem.

Opt - 2

Four might be “opt”imal, but I’m not sure what to cut. Smooths out the draw and land drops and helps you find an answer to threats

Brazen Borrower - 4

So much utility. Can buy you another turn in the early game against most decks and gives you a chump blocker against flyers later. Once you stabilize, hold onto them for emergencies. Don’t be tempted to bounce something that isn’t really a threat.

Wrath of God - 4

Almost a secondary win con, in that it’s frequently followed by your opponent conceding. A dead draw in the late game if you already have Nine Lives/Solemnity out.

Cast Out - 2

The cycle option really makes this a useful addition. I probably cycle it about half the time. Exiling a single target isn’t helpful against a lot of the meta decks right now, so being able to grab something else is great.

Teferi, Master of Time - 2

Teferi, Hero of Dominaria - 4

Once you get Nine Lives/Solemnity on the board the Teferis probably will only last 1 turn. They become overcosted cycle cards.

Search for Azcanta // Azcanta, the Sunken Ruin - 2

Very strong. If it hits the board and sticks, I expect to win.

Fae of Wishes - 2

Fetch whatever you need to survive or win, what else could you ask for? It’s not wrong to drop it as a creature and not use the effect if you’re playing against a deck with early board drops.

Dovin's Veto - 1

Adding just 1 Dovin’s Veto actually strengthened the deck a lot. There are a few control and combo decks in the meta that really depend on a bomb. If you disrupt that, you probably win.

Sideboard

I’m in BO1, so the sideboard is only for fetching cards with Fae of Wishes. It’s not thoroughly tested. The cards that I pull most often are Approach, Shatter the Sky, Pact of Negation, and Sphinx’s Revelation. Pact of Negation can be really useful. I played a version with a couple in the maindeck and it might be worth trying again. Tormod's Crypt gave me one game against a black graveyard deck.

1 Approach of the Second Sun 

1 Tormod's Crypt 

2 Pact of Negation

2 Dovin's Veto

1 Settle the Wreckage

1 Time Wipe

1 Heliod's Intervention

1 Sphinx's Revelation

1 Cast Out 

1 Shatter the Sky 

1 Clear the Mind

1 Disenchant

1 Finale of Revelation

Other Possible Card Choices

Counterspell Package- too slow to be effective against aggro decks. Since 50+% of the BO1 meta is aggressive decks, you spend too much time playing from behind.

Seal Away- There is rarely a single tapped target that is a problem and it doesn’t cycle.

Narset, Parter of Veils - might consider over a Teferi or two. You usually aren’t worried about your opponent drawing extra cards, so that ability isn’t a huge factor. Teferi can eventually cycle a lot more cards than Narset, but Narset might pull your combo faster in critical early turns.

What other possible options am I missing?

Deck Stats and Matchups

61% (50-32) Overall, 80% (28-7) vs Aggro

Mono Red - 82%

Goblins can win on turn 3, but it’s more common that they need 4-5 turns. Bounce early threats and look for your combo or a wrath. Wrath ASAP, don’t wait for the “right moment.”

Mono Green - 71%

Questing Beast can be a problem! “Combat damage that would be dealt by creatures you control can't be prevented” means that Nine Lives is ignored. Most green decks aren’t running him in historic, but I saw him a few times.

Mono White - 83%

Any deck that relies on board presence to win is an easy matchup. It’s not hard to find Nine Lives or a Wrath.

Mono Black - 57%

Not a bad matchup, but can be tricky. Don’t get discouraged by early game discards. You have plenty of cycling and card draw to recover. One thing to look out for- Nine Lives protects against damage, NOT “loss of life” effects. Those are common in mono black right now and can be a problem.

That covers about half of the decks I faced in my 82 matches, which is why this deck is performing strongly right now in Historic BO1. I didn’t see any other archetypes consistently enough to get reliable data.

Let me know what you think and how you improve the deck!